Black female protagonist in Assassin’s Creed: Liberation

The latest Game Informer magazine is carrying a wealth of information about the newest portable Assassin’s Creed (thanks to NeoGAF’s ImLibo). The game is subtitled Liberation, and it will feature a French woman of African descent named Aveline in the Louisiana city of New Orleans. This PlayStation Vita exclusive seems to take place concurrently with Assassin’s Creed III as it is set in the same period after the French and Indian War.

In a first for the series, Aveline is not an ancestor of recurring main character Desmond Miles, and someone else (potentially new) will be accessing Aveline’s memories in the games’ Animus machine.

Bulgaria-based Ubisoft Sofia is the developer. The handheld action title has the same October 30 release date as its console brother. The GI article is clear to point out that the title will have “true” Assassin’s Creed gameplay. In addition, the dev will utilize the Vita’s front touch screen and the back panel for the in-game pickpocketing. Additionally, the team is working on a Vita-optimized multiplayer mode as well.

We’ll likely find out much more about Liberation at the quickly approaching Electronic Entertainment Expo trade show in Los Angeles. We can’t wait to learn the details of the unique Aveline. Very few games use female leads, let alone one who is also a minority. If also a woman, we’re betting that the new modern-day character in the Animus is simply a way for Ubi to avoid the sticky gender/power questions of a male user (Desmond) controlling a woman’s body (Aveline).